


Hell Is Other People

by Ren



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Established Relationship, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 18:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9284195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ren/pseuds/Ren
Summary: Otabek Altin is not prepared for the media shitstorm that happens when people find out he's dating Yuri Plisetsky.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For yoiweek2017, Day 4: The Inferno
> 
> I would like to thank all my lovely commenters who make me want to keep writing for this pairing :)

It starts, predictably enough, with a photo of him and Yuri. Otabek has always known that they couldn't keep it a secret forever: figure skating is a relatively niche sport, but competing at world level means that the two of them are minor celebrities. While that's not a status that Otabek particularly enjoys, he's learned to live with it.

He and Yuri hadn't wanted to keep it secret – they were just keeping it private. If they'd truly wanted to hide that they're dating, they wouldn't have been caught hand in hand as they snuck away from the banquet at the end of the Euros.

The photo itself isn't bad, as far as paparazzi photos go. It shows Otabek from the back, which is a relief because he always looks sullen on camera. Yuri has his head turned to the side and is smiling at something Otabek is saying. Otabek doesn't remember what they were talking about, only the sound of Yuri's laughter as he twined his fingers with Otabek's. The paparazzi must have been hanging around the entrance of the hotel, but Otabek had been so distracted, he hadn't even noticed the flash going off.

By the time Otabek lands in Almaty the next day, every sports newspaper and website is running a story about the secret love life of Yuri Plisetsky, Grand Prix Final and Euros gold medalist. So, really, the photo is not a surprise. What they didn't expect is the paparazzi's blunder.

"I can't believe they think I'd stoop so low as to date JJ!" Yuri yells through the speaker, and Otabek has to hold his phone away from his ear or risk going deaf. "Are they morons or what? He looks nothing like you. He wasn't even at the Euros, he's Canadian for fuck's sake!"

What follows is a long tirade against paparazzi who can't do their job, against sports journalists who don't check their articles before going to print, and against JJ for the crime of having a similar hairstyle to Otabek. Otabek could point out that he wasn't supposed to be at the Euros either, that he flew out just to support Yuri on the last day, but he has a feeling that Yuri is focusing on the mix-up with JJ so he doesn't have to think about the fact that their relationship getting dragged out in the open. So he lets Yuri rant, because he sounds like he needs to let it out, and because even under the circumstances it's nice to hear Yuri's voice.

Otabek also wishes they'd had a little more time before everyone else found out: this thing with Yuri is so very new, and they're already trying to balance a long distance relationship with a busy schedule of training and competing. They didn't need the added pressure of publicity. All the same, the story is out now.

They decide that the simple thing is for Yuri to post a message on social media saying that he's dating Otabek, hoping that will stop journalists and fans from pestering him. Because Yuri is Yuri, he can't resist a little dig at the end of his Facebook post – _I wouldn't date JJ if he was the last man alive,_ he writes. _I have no idea how Isabella can stand him, she's way too good for him._

JJ finds it hilarious and congratulates both him and Beka with a post all in capslock. "Because it's not enough that he's loud in real life, he has to yell on the internet too," Yuri complains the next time he calls, and Otabek laughs.

The newspapers and websites revise their articles and run a few articles on Otabek. More friends text him to say congratulations. He even gets a message from Viktor Nikiforov, _the_ Viktor Nikiforov, and he has no idea who gave him his number. His mother calls to ask if it's true and he has to sit through thirty minutes of lecture because he hasn't introduced Yuri to the family yet; the fact that Yuri lives in another country is not considered a good enough excuse.

All in all, it seems things are blowing over quickly. Otabek throws himself into practice. He's got a new routine to perfect and not enough time before the Four Continents. He doesn't hear anything from Yuri for a couple of days. That's not unusual – neither of them can afford many distractions. Not even gorgeous blonde distractions with mesmerizing eyes.

That's why, when Yuri sends him a message late at night, Otabek knows something is up. _have u seen twitter_ , Otabek reads, and he frowns at the screen of his phone. The story about the two of them dating is already out, so what else could it be? It's not as if any of them has some huge, dark secret. Before Otabek can reply, his phone vibrates with a new message. _actually don't look, its ugly_.

Otabek can't help himself, he's already clicking on the app. Despite what most people believe, he does have an account, he just doesn't use it much. Even for a social media novice like him, though, it's not difficult to find out what's going on. It's… everywhere. On his timeline. In his mentions. Even in his DMs, which he never reads. It's a trending topic in Kazakhstan, whatever _that_ means.

After reading a couple of the messages, Otabek's stomach sinks. Five minutes later and he's calling Yuri as he boots up his laptop.

"Hey," Yuri whispers, picking up on the second ring. His voice sounds frayed at the edges and Otabek doesn't know what to do. "Did you see it?"

"Yeah," Otabek says, pulling up Facebook and Instagram, and it's the same kind of shit, just on a different platform. "Yura, I… I don't know what to say."

"It's bullshit." There's a pause, just static at the other end, as Yuri tries to compose himself. "I'm sorry I told you. There's no point looking at it, those people are… they're just morons!"

"You've been looking at it," Otabek says, and Yuri doesn't reply.

There's even more than Otabek thought at first. Hundreds, maybe thousands of messages, all about him and Yuri. Not all of them are bad, there's a very nice message going around asking fans to be respectful of other people's personal lives, but the nasty messages… the nasty messages are very nasty.

So many people are up in arms about the fact that Yuri is no longer single. Otabek can't understand it – many of them have never met Yuri, never even saw him in person. They've just seen videos and photos of him. Even if Yuri was single, they couldn't be hoping to date him. And yet they're writing as if Otabek personally stole Yuri from them.

Last time they met, Nikiforov has said that something similar happened when he started dating Katsuki. Otabek vaguely remembers the newspaper articles, but he hadn't followed the story since he wasn't interested in other people's love life. From the way Nikiforov told the story, the fan outrage was short-lived and funny in hindsight. It doesn't seem funny now that Otabek is reading messages from people wishing he was dead so they could have "their" Yurochka back.

"This one says you should dump me for JJ," Otabek says, laughing because it's either that or crying. His voice shakes on the name. "She says you'd look better together because he's more handsome."

"Fucking asshole," Yuri mutters. Otabek doesn't know if he means the poster or JJ – both, he assumes. "Stop looking at that crap, Beka, it's not worth it."

Otabek can't look away, though. It's like picking at a scab. He keeps opening new tabs, following links, reading discussions that are still going on. JJ has taken down his Facebook page. From the screenshots posted on some guy's Instagram, it was because he was being attacked by trolls telling him he should dump his girlfriend and date Yuri instead. Otabek feels sick to his stomach. He doesn't even like JJ, but he and his girlfriend didn't deserve to be dragged into this mess.

Then Otabek clicks on the Yuri's Angels forum and reads the titles of the most recent threads. "What the–" he mutters. He can't quite believe his eyes. "They're calling me a what?"

There's a noise at the other end of the phone that sounds like a sob. "A pedo. Isn't that _great_? isn't that the shit icing on the shit cake?"

"But why?" Otabek simply can't believe it. He clicks the threads, reads them through, even though it makes him nauseous. He still can't understand it.

"I don't know!" Yuri whines. "Because they're losers with no life? Because they think I'm twelve? Because they've never dated anyone and so they think that nobody should either?" His voice is getting high-pitched and he sounds on the edge of tears.

Otabek pushes away the laptop and closes his eyes. "Yura," he says, wishing he could be there with him. "Just… First things first, stop reading this, okay? You're right, there's no point to it. It's garbage."

A sniffle. "Okay."

"Promise? I've already closed my laptop."

"Yeah," Yuri says. A pause. "I'm closing everything now. I won't look at it any more. I'm sorry, it's just that– I thought I was used to gossip, Yakov says all athletes have to deal with it."

"I don't think it was quite so bad in Yakov's time," Otabek mutters. With his eyes closed, he can almost pretend that Yuri is in the same room instead of thousands of kilometers away. Almost.

Yuri lets out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry, this– this is all my fault. It's _my_ batshit crazy fans that are insulting you."

"Don't, Yura. Don't even say it. None of this is your fault."

There's a muffled sound at the other end, another sniffle. "They're saying it's _gross_!" Yuri exclaims, voice breaking on the word.

"It's not your fault, or mine," Otabek insists. "Unless… unless I…" He reaches for his lucky bear plushie, squeezing it for support. "Yura, am I making you uncomfortable?"

"There's people online saying you're molesting me, _that_ makes me uncomfortable."

"I don't mean that. Does it… bother you? That I'm older?"

Yuri lets out a startled laughter, and it's genuinely the best sound Otabek has heard all day. "Beka, you're two years older than me, not forty!"

"Two years and four months," Otabek points out, but Yuri isn't listening.

"Mila used to date this hockey player who was three years older than her, and nobody gave a fuck. And Georgi's girlfriend – not Anya, the one before – was maybe eighteen? Again, no fucks given…"

"But you're younger than them."

"Don't you start too!" Yuri exclaims, annoyed. "It's bad enough that Yakov and Lilia and my rinkmates treat me as a child…"

Absurdly, Otabek is relieved. If Yuri is getting angry, then he's not going to burst into tears. Otabek can deal with angry Yuri. They can talk through this. He doesn't much like the thought of having this conversation, but he has to say it.

"Maybe it would be better if we… broke things off. Just for a while, until you… until you turn eighteen, or…"

The other end of the phone is silent. Otabek trails off. Swallows noisily.

Then, "Fuck off!" Yuri exclaims, startling him. "Fuck you, Beka, it would _not_ make me feel better. You're the only thing I've got that's keeping me sane in the middle of this shitstorm, so, no, we're not breaking it off!"

"Okay." Now Otabek is the one who could cry, out of sheer relief.

A pause. "Unless you want to break it off. Shit. I'm sorry, I didn't think– This is probably bad for you and your sponsors, isn't it? If that's–"

"It's not about my sponsors," Otabek says, quickly, cutting him off. "I don't care about that." He probably should, at least a bit, but he can't bring himself to care. He's sacrificed a lot to get to where he is, but he's not going to give up Yuri. "Just, I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

"Then stop talking about breaking up. That's making me uncomfortable."

Otabek bursts into nervous laughter, which turns into genuine laughter when Yuri joins in. At least one of the benefits of long distance is that nobody sees him as he wipes a tear from the corner of his eye.

They end up talking until late into the night, about anything but the messages on the internet. The next morning Otabek is beat and has to drag himself through his new free skate routine. His coach huffs and forbids him from going online until the media shitstorm blows over. Otabek would turn off his phone completely, but he can't, in case Yuri needs to contact him.

His phone keeps buzzing all day. Seemingly everyone in the skating world is sending him supportive messages. During his breaks, he does his best to reply to everyone. There's a twinge of annoyance every time a new text arrives – he wishes people would let him forget about the whole thing for at least a few hours – but at the same time he's touched to know he's got so many people on his side.

 _They're mean, but they're just a few people on the internet_ , writes Katsuki. _Just think about the people who really matter to you :)_

Michele Crispino: _Fuck those pigs, you won't believe the filth they write about my sister on the internet. They should all be in jail._

Popovich sends him an audio message that's over eight minutes long and starts with him sobbing for one minute and a half.

Oddly enough, it's Phichit that manages to cheer him up around mid-afternoon, by sending him a bunch of pictures of baby animals. It's stupid, but it helps.

Otabek checks in with Yuri as often as he can. Brief messages about nothing much, just to make sure that Yuri is still there, that despite everything they're still okay. And they are. At the end of the day, when Yuri calls to say good night, Otabek hasn't looked at the internet for the past 24 hours. He doesn't know if the shitstorm is over or if people are still arguing, but it doesn't seem to matter so much any more.

Journalists are harder to ignore. Every time Otabek does an interview, he's asked about Yuri. Otabek has prepped for this, has talked about it with Yuri and with his coach and, in a rather embarrassing conference call, even with Yuri's coach. His answers are polite but curt. Yes, he's dating Yuri Plisetsky. Yes, he knows there was quite a stir online. No, he hasn't read the messages. No, he'd rather not talk about his private life.

It's exhausting, and it doesn't get any easier, but as the days go by the journalists start losing interest in asking him about Yuri. The Four Continents happen and that takes the focus away from European skaters.

Otabek corners Phichit on the evening after the last general practice before the competition, and after some prodding Phichit admits that there's still some people stirring things up on Tumblr, whatever _that_ is. However, by and large people seem to be leaving Otabek and Yuri alone. That's a relief, even though Otabek has sworn off social media for the foreseeable future. He has no idea how Phichit manages to keep his sanity, given that he's on his smartphone whenever he's not on the ice.

Phichit gets silver at the Four Continents; Otabek gets gold. When he gets home, Otabek sends him a photo of his sister's dog, to which he replies with a string of smiling emojis.

Otabek has started to think that the incident might have finally blown over, when one morning he wakes up to a new text from Phichit. _Have U seen this? LOL_ , followed by winky faces and a YouTube link.

Suddenly, the cold dread is back in Otabek's stomach and he flashes back to all the horrible messages. He doesn't want to click the link. But it's from Phichit, and Phichit has been very good about shielding Otabek from social media in the past weeks. Sometimes, when he wanted to show Otabek supportive tweets from his fans, he sent a screenshot instead of a link so Otabek wouldn't have to open Twitter.

Otabek puts on his earphones, plugs the jack into the phone, and clicks the link. At first there's just a blur and excited screeching, then the image resolves into a shaky camera view of St Petersburg's ice rink. Yuri and the rest of the Russian team are talking to a crowd of fans – it's some kind of impromptu fan meeting, Otabek supposes. Yuri had mentioned something about it last night on the phone.

He wishes that the audio was better, so he could hear what Yuri is saying. It's been so long since the last time they met that even this small and blurry image is making Otabek smile.

A few seconds into the video, there's a commotion. Some half a dozen girls push through the rest of the crowd, almost trampling Popovich to get to Yuri. Otabek's eyes widen as Yuri takes a step back, but the girls stop and one of them says something. They seem to be arguing with Yuri, though Otabek can only catch a few words here and there.

Otabek raises the video's volume to the max. "Are you a moron or what?" Yuri yells suddenly, and Otabek jumps up in shock. "It's none of your fucking business!"

The camera shakes as whoever's filming this pushes through the crowd to get closer. The girls around Yuri say something, though Otabek only catches the word _underage_ , so yes, it's this shit again.

Yuri is angry, angrier than Otabek has ever seen him. "Have you got a fucking smartphone? Look up the age of consent in Russia, and in Kazakhstan too! I'm sixteen, you get it? Sixteen, not six!" He points one finger towards the offending group of girls at the front of the crown. "I don't care if you're frustrated because you're too ugly to get laid. It's my own fucking business if I want my boyfriend to fuck me in every position he can think of until my back hurts so much I can't skate!"

Georgi is holding back the crowd while Mila is laughing. Yuri's coach looks like he's about to have a heart attack. Otabek himself is suddenly not breathing well.

The video ends with Yuri being ushered away by the other skaters. Otabek presses play again and watches the video a second time. He still can't breathe.

 _Holy shit_ , he tells Phichit, because Phichit deserves some kind of reply.

 _Is this why you're always sneaking out of banquets early?_ is Phichit's immediate reply. _Kinky!_

_It's NOT!_

Then he calls Yuri.

It rings for a while before Yuri picks up. "Beka?" He sounds as if he just woke up.

"Good morning," Otabek says. Yuri's voice is so soft, he doesn't even seem the same person who yelled obscenities in the video. Otabek would like to get to it slowly, but Yuri beats him to it.

"I guess you saw the video."

"Phichit linked it to me. It was, uh…"

Yuri sighs. "I couldn't deal with that crap any more. They were making snide remarks, telling me that I'm better off without you, and I just lost it."

"I'm sorry you still have to deal with this."

"It's fine. At least this time I gave them a piece of my mind."

"About that." Otabek hesitates. "Did you… did you mean that? What you said about wanting me to…"

"Oh," Yuri says. Otabek would give a lot to be able to see his expression now. Is Yuri blushing? Otabek himself feels like his cheeks are on fire.

"Is it? Or isn't it?"

"I might have been getting ahead of myself. We haven't even talked about it–"

"I've been thinking about it," Otabek says, before he can stop himself. "About you. I miss you."

"I miss you too," Yuri murmurs into the phone. "And the answer is yes. I want you to."

Otabek lets out a slow breath. The kilometers between the two of them have never seemed so wide. "Me too," he says. "Just, I wasn't too fond of that thing you said, about your back hurting so much you can't skate."

Yuri lets out a nervous laughter. "I was trying to rile them up." He's certainly managing to rile Otabek up. "But you're right, Yakov would kill me if I did that. He already lectured me to no end yesterday about keeping my temper in public."

"We'll make sure nobody gets hurt." Otabek takes a deep breath. "If we decide to. If you want to."

A pause. "Let's talk about it after I win gold at Worlds."

"You mean after _I_ win gold at Worlds?"

"Oh, you're _on_!" Yuri says. It sounds like a promise.


End file.
